This Is All Wrong
by roses burning
Summary: Josh makes a mistake. Ashley pays the price. B O O M. Butterfly effect.
**'b o o m. butterfly effect.'**

ashley - forthright - academic - inquisitive:

"chris! chris, you can't let me **d i e**!"

The first thing that Ashley registered was the pain. Her wrists ached, and her head pounded mercilessly. With a grumble of unintelligible words, the redhead blinked her heavy eyelids, attempting to lift the blur that tarnished her vision. Immediately, however, she regretted it, and shut her eyes tightly again, as though she could shut out the world around her. Whimpers escaped her tightly pressed together lips, the young woman attempting to pull herself upwards.

Ropes were tied tightly, and secured around her wrists, the rough material digging into tender flesh, bright red markings masked by the dark and shadowed room. A quick look to her side revealed that she was not alone, and Ashley quickly realized that it was Josh, who seemed unconscious, who was tied up next to her. The redhead did not need an overactive imagination to be frightened by what was happening because, ohmygod, anyone in their right mind would be terrified.

"Ashley?" A small gasp parted her lips at the familiar sound of her best friend, and crushes, voice. She opened her mouth to speak, to call out for her savior, though a sob broke through her speech, and the girl's small body was shaken by her fear. "Ashley! Are you here?"

Taking a deep breath, she called out, though her voice still shook until it was nearly unable to decipher what she was saying. "Chris! Oh my God! Chris!" He was calling out for her again, though Ashley barely deciphered what he was saying, relief and terror swirling in her mind, and fogging her mind. "Ashley? Ash, where are you?" His words broke through the blur in her mind, and Ashley took another shaky breath, attempting to calm herself down. "I. . ." She looked around, shaking her head, before she realized that he could not see her. "I don't know, ohmygod, Chris."

"Okay, okay, Ash, keep talking to me, I. . ." She heard Chris begin, before light suddenly flooded the room, and blinded her for the second time that day. She couldn't help the quiet yelp that passed through her tightly pressed together lips, fear making her body stiff, and her movements sluggish. Though she attempted to speak, fear coated her every word, and she fell silent, turning pleading eyes from Chris to Josh, passed out beside her. That uncomfortable silence, however, did not last long, and she squeaked out a high pitched note at the sound of an unfamiliar, gravely voice.

"Hello, my special little subjects." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, though Ashley attempted to be brave, and blinked them away. "Josh, Josh, wake up, wake up!" Her voice grew slightly more forceful as she attempted to rouse her friend, who blinked groggily at her. "Ash? What's goi. . ." He cut himself off, eyes widening as he began to realize that he was not in the safety of his own room, rather, tied up, a saw mere feet away from him. "Oh my God!" Blood pounded in her ears, and Ash struggled to hear what was happening. The buzz of the saw roared to life, and the ginger haired girl gasped audibly, coughing out another small sob.

"Christopher must decide who will live, and who will die."

Sweat beaded on her brow, and her face lacked color. Breaths came in short, labored gasps, and Ash's entire body shook violently. Ashley could feel her heart pound, pound, **pounding** , in her chest, threatening to burst, because oh God, oh God, oh godohgodohgod, she was going to die. Panic attacks were not something that Ashley was unaccustomed to, though with everything going on, she was barely managing to keep from passing out. "Chris. . ." A small sob broke through her words, and she looked pleadingly at the boy who she had come to adore.

"I. . . I can't think straight, I need a minute."

Attempting to gulp in breaths of precious air, Ash whimpered, the sound somewhat pathetic, but the redhead couldn't help it. Faintly, as though she was underwater, she could hear Josh begging Chris to spare him, and Ashley wondered if she was babbling herself. At that point, she was barely in control of her actions nor her words, panic gripping at every aspect of Ash's being.

"Ashley, Ash, I won't let you die!"

"Oh, thank you. Thank you." Now, tears unabashedly streamed down Ashley's pale face; the girl could taste the salty water that dropped onto her mouth, and slipped in between her somewhat parted lips as she panted for air. "Oh no, oh God, man, why would you do this?" Ashley didn't want Josh to die, hell, he was one of her best friends, along with Chris. Why? Why would someone do this? Through watery eyes, Ashley watched as Chris placed his shaking hands on a lever, seeming to take a heaving breath before he pulled it, and the tracks switched.

"I see. You have chosen to save. . . Ashley."

But no. This was wrong, this was all wrong, why was the blade inching towards her at this agonizing pace? "Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris, why, please, oh God, get us out of here, Chris! Please, don't let me die, I don't want to die, Chris!" Ashley babbled uselessly, sobbing as the saw moved towards her. Josh, beside her, seemed panicked, but she could not hear him. The roar of the saw filled her ears, and tears filled her eyes, and oh my _**god**_ , she was going to _**d i e**_ , and Chris, the boy that she had fallen in love with, was the one who had killed her.

"Please. . ." She managed to croak, a shrill scream escaping her lips as the saw grew nearer and nearer, until the tip of it scraped tender skin. Her screams were loud and pained as the saw ripped effortlessly through her pale skin, tears and snot merging together on her face. With a shiver, Ashley felt her internal organs drop to the floor, because of course, she couldn't be granted a quick enough death. Somehow, over the overwhelming growl of the saw, she could hear her blood drip, drip, g, to the ground. Metallic tasting liquid dripped from her lips, and her screams grew quiet as black began to envelope Ashley's vision. She quickly allowed herself to slip into the painless abyss, and Ashley knew that she was dying, and she knew that she had to accept it.

And the world went **black**.

…

…

...

"No."

"Oh God, Ash!"

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Josh, you couldn't have. . ."

"This is my fault. It was supposed to be perfect. This is my fault!"

Chris gazed at his best guy friend defeatedly, tears streaming uselessly down his face. She was dead, she was dead, and he had killed her. But he had picked her, he had decided to let Josh die, in order to save the girl that he knew he loved. Yet, here he was, her body sawed in half, and a half desperate Josh blubbering nonsense to him. He stared blankly at the male, not moving to untie him, not yet, unable to utter a sound.

"It was supposed to go towards me, this was going to b t!" What did he mean, perfect? Why was the saw supposed to go towards Josh? Chris did not understand, and he did not think that he wanted to. However, it seemed that Josh was desperate to explain. He did not struggle against his binds, suspiciously still, though Chris supposed that he must be in shock.

"I don't understand, the saw was supposed to go towards me, and it. . . oh my God." Josh paused, taking a deep breath, and whimpering out one single sentence. "I put the dummy on the wrong side."


End file.
